Chapter 90#

The jequirity beans were cool, feeling very refreshing against the skin. Yan Heqing had a cold white complexion, and the dark red jequirity beans looked very beautiful on him.

The old woman also enthusiastically promoted, “Every color of my jequirity beans is carefully selected. It’s a bit expensive, but it’s efficacious. Young man, you’re going to have luck in love this year!”

Lu Lin asked for two strings and wore them on his left wrist, next to the watch worth millions.

Holding Yan Heqing’s hand again, fingers interlaced without letting go.

Next, no one came to ask for contact information along the way.

Leaving the scenic area, it directly connected to the famous ancient street of Ershiqiao. The artistic bookstores, tea shops, and pastry shops were packed with people.

Lu Lin seemed to have a destination, leading Yan Heqing slowly against the flow of people. There were fewer and fewer people. Near the end, another entrance appeared on the left.

There were a few signposts hanging on the colorful billboards. Yan Heqing saw two words at first glance: Pingtan.

Lu Lin brought him to listen to Pingtan.

The most famous Pingtan house in Ershiqiao was in this inconspicuous alley.

The narrow alley could only accommodate one person. Lu Lin let go of Yan Heqing’s hand and walked in first.

There were also a few tea houses and tattoo parlors in the alley, but the customer flow was scarce, as if it were a different place from the main street.

Walking further ahead, the carved gate on the left was open. Compared to the deserted tea houses and tattoo parlors, the Pingtan house proved that good wine needs no bush, with many guests coming for its fame.

The receptionist apologized, “Sorry, the traffic is heavy during the May Day holiday. You have to reserve a seat a day in advance.”

Lu Lin gave his name, and upon hearing it, the receptionist immediately signaled the waiter to take them to the second floor.

This Mr. Lu had booked a private room on the second floor half a month ago.

Just arriving on the second floor, one could hear the soft singing like a small bridge over flowing water.

It was called a private room, but it was actually a corridor with a table and a few chairs. Downstairs was the lobby and the performance stage.

On the stage was a woman in a cheongsam, holding a pipa in her arms. Her fingers plucked the strings, evoking the tenderness of the water town.

The waiter handed over a menu for tea and songs.

The Pingtan house had scheduled performances every day. During the intervals, songs could be requested for an additional fee, and the audience present could listen along.

Lu Lin let Yan Heqing order. Yan Heqing calculated the remaining cash and ordered two cups of Jin Jun Mei. “Slow, Slow Song” was an additional request, and he ordered it too.

“Didn’t bring your phone?” Lu Lin asked, not knowing if he just discovered it or had discovered it earlier and only asked now.

Yan Heqing didn’t hide it, “Turned it off.”

The waiter went downstairs with the order. Lu Lin then spoke, “Is your creditor still bothering you?”

“Not really.” Yan Heqing’s voice was light. “Just want to be quiet for a few days.”

He changed the subject, “Is there a mobile phone shop nearby? I want to buy a new phone.”

Lu Lin took out his phone and searched the map, “There should be a shopping mall.”

The scenic area was in the urban area of Ershiqiao, only two subway stops away from the city center.

Lu Lin found a shopping mall, just a few hundred meters walk from the scenic area exit.

However, judging from the pictures, the mall was relatively small and might not have brand stores.

“Any specific brand?”

Yan Heqing shook his head, “As long as the pixels are good.”

His second-hand phone had too low pixels, and the photos and videos were not clear. He had a need for video recording in June.

His original plan was to buy it after returning to the capital, but Ershiqiao was the hometown he set foot on for the first time. The feeling was not real when he came, but his mood was different after arriving.

He rarely took photos. From childhood to now, there were only three graduation photos: elementary school, junior high school, and high school.

But miraculously receiving his mother’s photo, he suddenly understood the meaning of photos.

Even the deepest memories will fade, but photos, if preserved well, are eternal.

Therefore, he advanced his plan to buy a new phone, wanting to leave photos of Ershiqiao.

Lu Lin smiled, “Go there after listening, it’s very close.”

The tea was ready-made. The waiter quickly brought it upstairs and also gave a plate of melon seeds as a bonus, informing them that “Slow, Slow Song” was about to be performed.

When the waiter left, a familiar tune came from downstairs at the same time.

The performer was playing “Slow, Slow Song”.

Yan Heqing looked at the performance stage downstairs, his expression focused.

Lu Lin had no interest in Pingtan. He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The taste was ordinary. Customers came here mainly for Pingtan.

Putting down the teacup, Lu Lin brought over the melon seed plate, gathered them all into a pile, cleared half of the space, then grabbed a handful of melon seeds, shelled them, and put them in the empty space.

After a while, a small hill piled up. He pushed it next to Yan Heqing’s teacup.

When the performance ended, a man and a woman came on stage. The teleprompter above flashed a line of words, indicating they were going to perform “Moon of the Qin Palace”.

Yan Heqing turned his head back. Just as he touched the teacup, he saw the melon seed kernels next to it, each grain full.

He didn’t look at Lu Lin, only quietly ate all the melon seed kernels.

After the performance, the two left the Pingtan house.

Leaving the Pingtan house, they walked out of the ancient street in a short while. Following the map to the mall, there was a mobile phone experience store on the first floor.

A well-known domestic brand with various models. The clerk asked Yan Heqing about his needs and recommended a new phone that had just been released.

“This one focuses on photography and videography, especially the night shooting function is excellent.”

Yan Heqing asked for one.

The price was not cheap, and the cash was far from enough, so he swiped his card.

Lu Lin smiled, “It seems buying a phone wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

“Mn.” Yan Heqing suddenly raised the phone and took a snapshot of Lu Lin.

The color presentation was indeed close to the naked eye effect.

“Need a phone with good night shooting effects for something.” Yan Heqing saved the photo, didn’t ask the clerk to pack it, and put it directly into his trouser pocket.

“For taking photos, a professional camera is still better.” Lu Lin said, “I have a DSLR at my place. Take it if you need it.”

Yan Heqing’s tone seemed to carry the poetry of Ershiqiao, “Okay.”

It happened to be dinner time. Coming out of the mobile phone shop, the two randomly found a local restaurant in the mall. As a result, every dish was cloyingly sweet. Both of them put down their chopsticks after eating one bowl.

Ershiqiao’s cuisine tended to be sweet. Last night, Old Li’s cooking had less sugar because Lu Lin specifically instructed him. The two discussed and went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients to cook at home tomorrow.

Walking back the same way, they returned to the old house. Sure enough, there were three bottles of green plum wine on the table in the main room. In the transparent bottles, the color of the green plums had turned very dark, but the wine was very clean. Besides the green plum wine, there was also a box of plum wine jasmine ice cakes.

A sticky note was attached to the jasmine ice cake box: It tastes better after being refrigerated overnight!

Yan Heqing carried it to the kitchen. At the door, he stopped.

In the kitchen, Lu Lin was putting ingredients into the refrigerator. It was very dark outside, probably about to rain. Lu Lin turned on the light. It was the kind of transparent light bulb from the last century, where the filament inside could be seen. The warm orange light fell on Lu Lin’s back. Yan Heqing inexplicably thought of Lin Fengzhi’s diary.

[Uncle Lu’s back gives such a sense of security! The person carried by him must be very happy!]

Lost in thought, Lu Lin turned around after putting away the things and saw Yan Heqing looking at him with a distant gaze.

The young man had never shown such an expression.

Lu Lin smiled, “What’s wrong?”

Boom.

Caught off guard by a clap of thunder, pouring rain fell instantly.

The light bulb was shaken slightly, casting flickering shadows. Even Lu Lin’s face was a bit blurry. Yan Heqing stepped into the kitchen. The closer he got, the clearer Lu Lin’s face became. In front of him, he saw it completely clearly.

Yan Heqing also smiled, “Nothing, just suddenly realized that I have been happy twice.”

Lu Lin didn’t understand, and Yan Heqing didn’t explain. He opened the refrigerator and put the jasmine ice cakes in.

This rain came fiercely, raining all night and still raining the next day, with a posture of submerging the world. Old Li called early in the morning. The water level in the scenic area rose and flooded. People inside the scenic area couldn’t get out, and people outside couldn’t get in for the time being.

“Mr. Lu, Mr. Yan, you must be very hungry!” Old Li was scratching his head anxiously, “If I had known, I would have brought a few more boxes of dim sum yesterday.”

Yan Heqing said they bought groceries yesterday. Only then did Old Li breathe a sigh of relief and hang up the phone with peace of mind.

Breakfast was made by Lu Lin. Using local materials, he used the plum wine sent by Old Li to make a dish of plum wine braised pork ribs. With the vegetables bought yesterday, he made steamed meat pie with edamame, pomelo with shrimp, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.

Refreshing and appetizing. Yan Heqing ate two bowls of rice. At this time, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the temperature also dropped significantly. He went to the kitchen to find spare firewood and lit the stove again.

Outside the window was the sound of rain hitting banana leaves. The banana leaves crackled, beating against the window from time to time. Lu Lin came back carrying the ice cakes and the kettle.

Putting the kettle on the stove to boil, Lu Lin pulled out the chair next to Yan Heqing, “The weather forecast predicts it will rain until 3 am tomorrow. We can’t go out today.”

Yan Heqing smiled, “It’s not bad at home either.” He got up and walked to the window, pushing open half of the window.

Instantly, the sound of rain on bananas became clearer.

Yan Heqing’s voice carried a lightness, “It’s a heavenly sound that can’t be heard elsewhere.”

The lights weren’t on. Only the window in the room had light. Yan Heqing was still wearing only a white shirt, slightly thicker than yesterday’s, but his back was still thin.

Wind drilled into the room from the window. Yan Heqing didn’t feel cold, but he still turned back to ask Lu Lin, “Will it be cold…”

The rest of the words were blocked back into his mouth by hot lips.

Lu Lin had arrived behind him at some point. One of Yan Heqing’s hands was still grasping the window. The red bean bracelet rubbed against the glass, making a crisp sound.

Yan Heqing was turned around by Lu Lin, pressed against the wall, and kissed meticulously.

Backlit, Lu Lin didn’t close his eyes, gazing at Yan Heqing. In his black eyes was clear, incomparably surging affection.

One hand covered Yan Heqing’s hand grasping the window, and the other held Yan Heqing’s waist.

Eyes meeting, Yan Heqing’s mind was chaotic. There was only a voice drifting near and far. It was Lu Lin’s voice. That time in the greenhouse, he said it’s best to close your eyes when kissing.

Eyelids slowly fell. Yan Heqing’s chin raised slightly, responding shallowly.

The brilliance in Lu Lin’s eyes was no longer calm. His lips gradually left, following Yan Heqing’s beautiful jawline, landing densely on Yan Heqing’s left ear, gently brushing over those few thin scars.

Yan Heqing’s heart suddenly felt like it was swept by a feather duster, palpitating densely and thickly.

In the darkness, his senses were clearer.

The sound of rain hitting banana leaves grew louder and louder, intertwining with Lu Lin’s breathing in his ears. He felt the heat on his left ear moving down little by little, from chin to neck. Then he felt his collar open.

Strong and slender fingers unbuttoned the transparent buttons of the white shirt one by one.

With a slight tug, the clothes on the left shoulder slipped down.

In the dim light and shadow, that bowl-sized red scar was dazzling and conspicuous. Lu Lin touched the boy’s wound gently and carefully, across the interlaced time, as if comforting the boy who was in pain but dared not cry, who could only shrink in the darkness of the balcony and lick his wounds silently.

Uncontrollable, unable to suppress, Lu Lin’s hand slid into Yan Heqing’s waistband.

Puff puff.

The water on the stove boiled. The lid was pushed up by the steam. The noise wasn’t loud, almost drowned in the sound of rain, but Lu Lin stopped as if awakened.

A moment later, he pulled back Yan Heqing’s shirt, complex emotions in his eyes, “I’m going out for a while.”

Before Yan Heqing could open his eyes, he strode out of the main room.

For the first time, Lu Lin wanted to curse.

He didn’t prepare any protection!